Making nighttime work is tough, even when kids aren't babies anymore, but it is not impossible

I used to be a fan of late bedtimes (I was the only kid in my fourth-grade class to know who Ed McMahon was), but now that my husband and I have kids of our own, we're desperate to get them settled every night. Despite our good intentions, bedtime at our house is routinely hijacked by homework, phone calls and the occasional tantrum--kids' and parents' both. Throw in wild cards like sickness, sleepovers and daylight saving time, and it's no wonder we've all got circles under our eyes.

Even the kids, who are night owls, are admitting they're tired. Our 11-year-old...